Fitted with the ultra-robust case from Alpina’s outdoor Extreme line for the first time, the timepiece also features a GMT function, making it ready to travel anywhere. Two automatic models displaying the date thus join the Seastrong collection, both housed in a steel case with a ceramic bezel on a black rubber strap. The first comes with a silver dial while the second sports a black dial. The 39x40.50mm cushion format is both strong and compact, making it perfect for water sports and urban settings alike.
The new Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT really does deliver the best of both worlds. On the one hand, there’s the original DNA of a certified dive watch equipped with a screw-down caseback (making it water-resistant to 300 metres), a screw-down crown with grip, luminous hands and hour markers, and a notched bidirectional bezel.
All this is now accompanied by Alpina’s flagship design, the Extreme case. Compact, assertive and a veteran of all forms of outdoor pursuits, the case has been integrated into the Seastrong Diver GMT line for the first time. It’s a natural and obvious move: how could a case designed for outdoor adventures not encounter the dive watch that spans every ocean on the planet?
One movement and three time bands
This match made in adventurer heaven has given birth to two models. Each features a complication that’s the perfect companion to the genre: GMT, displayed here in no-nonsense fashion by means of a second central hours hand.
The solution is simple and straightforward to understand: the traditional trio of central hours, minutes and seconds hands denote the time wherever the wearer is on their travels; the date window at 6 o’clock is naturally synchronised with this time band.
Alongside this comes the additional hours hand, distinguished by its triangular red tip echoing the Alpina logo, denoting the second time band – often the time back at base, known as the ‘home time zone’. No additional controls are required to operate the GMT function: everything is done via the single, secure crown at 3 o’clock. Relentless travellers in need of a third time band can always use the bezel to keep track, too; what’s more, its 24-hour markings feature a day/night indication. Rotating the bezel allows the third time zone to be read off directly from the position of the GMT hand, making the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT the first Alpina watch to have a bezel displaying a third time band.
A family likeness
The two watches share a certain family likeness in stylistic terms. Both use the 39x40.50mm case with the alternating polished and brushed surface finishings characteristic of fine Geneva watchmaking. To this, both versions add a textured rubber strap fitted with a deployment clasp secured by a push button.
The two models sport a matt black ceramic bezel that can withstand any number of bumps and ward off scratches, inscribed with polished relief-engraved figures. Located at 3 o’clock, the crown comes with a rubber grip to ensure it can be grasped firmly, even when wearing diving gloves.
The dials of both models are embossed with Alpina’s signature triangular motif; the difference resides in the colour of the dial, which comes in a choice of silver or black.
